What games did you play today?

[Owen]

I've been trying to complete Aladdin: Nasira's Revenge and good lord it's so much harder than I remember. Maybe I'm just shite at games but it's a real struggle.

[Krabby]

Mrs. Krabby and I picked up Cuphead on sale for the Switch. She had it on her radar for the art style which she loves. The game is pretty dang hard though which - while challenging (which can be good) - is not necessarily the experience we were looking for. We aren't bailing on it by any means yet, just wish the chaotic part of it was toned down some.

(We really would love to find another game like Luigi's Mansion 3)

[RPS]

3 hours ago, Krabby said:

Mrs. Krabby and I picked up Cuphead on sale for the Switch. She had it on her radar for the art style which she loves. The game is pretty dang hard though which - while challenging (which can be good) - is not necessarily the experience we were looking for. We aren't bailing on it by any means yet, just wish the chaotic part of it was toned down some.

(We really would love to find another game like Luigi's Mansion 3)

I believe there is an easier mode for most of the non platforming levels. 

[Schlitzbrille]

Been getting back into The Long Drive. Current run gave me a convertible legally-not-VW Beetle to start, about 30 km in at moment.

Played around with the AM part of the in-car radio for once and was busting out laughing when the station I tuned into ended up playing Ride of the Valkyries as I drove up a hill at a mammoth 40 MPH or so.

[TheGrandAvatar]

FIFA 23 Blackburn Career Mode. Season 2027-2028. September so far. Injury hit season going into the end of September. December going to recall loan players who are not improving. Then get rid of then. Bring in better. 

[Pooker]

Finished KOTOR today, light side ending. Immediately wanted to restart and do dark side. Think instead I'm going to wait a few weeks and buy KOTOR 2.

[Skummy]

I started Horizon: Forbidden West last night, but am only very early into it. I don't know if it's just that it's been a long time since I played Zero Dawn, but climbing feels less intuitive than it used to, and some of the controls are a bit fiddly (hold L2, rotate the right-stick and press X to select a weapon - how many thumbs do you think I have?). I can't really see how the story can manage to be as compelling as last time - it feels like more of the same - but I'm happy to be along for the ride.

I like that the start of the game holds your hand pretty well in terms of teaching you how to play, and recapping the story of the last game, without hitting you over the head with it, or doing something common in sequels in having someone who has already been through saving the world suddenly not remember how to run, jump, or use weapons. It feels nice and organic. 

[Chris2K]

Splashed out on Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator because I love cooking games, despite not being able to cook in real life.

I'm really enjoying it, it has a lot of cooking actions to carry out without getting overboard like Cooking Simulator does (you don't have to measure out exactly 300ml of cooking oil for example) but it is already dialling up the difficulty after just a few extra recipes. I never knew how much goes into a sauce for a sole roulade.

I haven't done much simulator stuff yet, I have no interest in re-designing the dining room for example, but one thing that has jumped out is something that I am afflicted by in real life too. I'm refusing to let my sous chefs help, at the cost of people getting their food way too late, because y'know... I can do it better.

[Ruki]

In case you were wondering: Octopath Traveler 2 is just as good as I was expecting it to be. I just got my 4th party member (Merchant -> Dancer -> Warrior -> Apothecary). Lacking in the magic department, and could use some sub-classes, but really liking everything so far. I also managed to fight and beat a Cait + use Bewildering Dance (random effects... one of which is 5x JP) so I got a nice boost of XP and JP. I'm very poor though, I keep bribing people. 

[Bobfoc]

14 minutes ago, Kazuma KiRuki said:

In case you were wondering: Octopath Traveler 2 is just as good as I was expecting it to be. I just got my 4th party member (Merchant -> Dancer -> Warrior -> Apothecary). Lacking in the magic department, and could use some sub-classes, but really liking everything so far. I also managed to fight and beat a Cait + use Bewildering Dance (random effects... one of which is 5x JP) so I got a nice boost of XP and JP. I'm very poor though, I keep bribing people. 

How good is the story? I like the look of the gameplay, but I tend to need an engaging plot if I'm going to commit so many hours to a game.

[Ruki]

3 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

How good is the story? I like the look of the gameplay, but I tend to need an engaging plot if I'm going to commit so many hours to a game.

No overarching plot so far, and the stories I've seen so far are simple but enjoyable. 

[Schlitzbrille]

300km into my current run in The Long Drive. Started game with my usual goal of eventually swapping over to a bus, found it by the side of the road at roughly the 245km mark. Was really fun there for a while driving a car with three barrels of diesel fuel (one in the trunk, two wedged into the cabin) along in a game with at-times janky as fuck physics.

[Ruki]

I tried Hi-Fi Rush, quickly discovered I have no rhythm. 

[Bobfoc]

16 minutes ago, Kazuma KiRuki said:

I tried Hi-Fi Rush, quickly discovered I have no rhythm. 

Must be those guilty feet.

[TheGrandAvatar]

On 05/03/2023 at 03:10, Shouting Box said:

300km into my current run in The Long Drive. Started game with my usual goal of eventually swapping over to a bus, found it by the side of the road at roughly the 245km mark. Was really fun there for a while driving a car with three barrels of diesel fuel (one in the trunk, two wedged into the cabin) along in a game with at-times janky as fuck physics.

I came across this game the other day on sale. It peeked my interest. This has peeked it even more though. It does sound a lot of fun for what it is. Might have to take a chance on it at some point. 

[Skummy]

I've been playing Horizon: Forbidden West. It's been long enough since I played Zero Dawn that it all feels the right combination of new and familiar, without treading over old ground. The story so far isn't quite as compelling, in terms of pushing me on to figure out what happened in the past, but it's interesting enough to keep me guessing, and I still love the combat in these games even if I'm not great when it comes to anything more advanced than "keep hoying arrows at them til their dead".

Trying to sneak into rebel camps and kill everyone without being spotted is the kind of occasional stealth gameplay I love, and last night (after three attempts) I (at level 24) managed to kill a Shellsnapper, which thus far has been the hardest machine I've encountered (I've stayed clear of the Thunderjaw). It took a long time, and only a slightly more advanced strategy than "keep hoying arrows", in that I focused my efforts on attacking the shell clamps to remove part of the outer shell, then rained fire arrows down on him to do more damage once he was exposed. Given that he's not remotely attached to the plot, and there were still other machines nearby I needed to finish off once I was done with him, it was a bit of an anticlimactic feel having beaten him, though I managed to bring down a nearby drone at least.

[TheGrandAvatar]

Gone back to the FIFA Career Mode. Diaz is insane. Easily one of my favourite player's in career mode. 

[fourstarfizzle]

On 20/03/2023 at 23:31, TheGrandAvatar said:

Gone back to the FIFA Career Mode. Diaz is insane. Easily one of my favourite player's in career mode. 

I recently had a career game going when I chose a random league and team, I ended up with Central Coast Mariners. I signed Morgan Rogers for cheap from City as an LW and he did the job. I left the job eventually to go to Norway and then to Ajax. Spent a few years at Ajax rebuilding it into a European powerhouse of youth players, and went to look in on Rogers, he was now a 95 rating and worth 200m.... and still at Central Coast Mariners.

[TheGrandAvatar]

19 hours ago, fourstarfizzle said:

I recently had a career game going when I chose a random league and team, I ended up with Central Coast Mariners. I signed Morgan Rogers for cheap from City as an LW and he did the job. I left the job eventually to go to Norway and then to Ajax. Spent a few years at Ajax rebuilding it into a European powerhouse of youth players, and went to look in on Rogers, he was now a 95 rating and worth 200m.... and still at Central Coast Mariners.

Hahaha nice. It is one of my favourite parts about FIFA and Career Mode. You get to see the change of player's, who becomes better and takes up the next positions from the old guard at club's. 

Do enjoy youth player's, regens and the younger existing player's with potential. Half the fun is looking for a gem, or vetran to do the job. 

[Chris2K]

I've got a rotation of games going while I'm off work:

Chef Life Restaurant Simulator - seriously, I can't stop playing it, even though each service takes an hour.

Rock Band 3 - on keyboard, playing guitar, bass and key parts of every song (not at the same time).

MLB 23 The Show - RTTS, playing as a slugger 1B and hitting .771 in the minors whilst being a liability on defence.

Forza Horizon 5 - Rally Adventure DLC

F1 22 - MyTeam mode, finished 4th in my debut in Bahrain after a suspicious safety car caused by an "aggressive" block of Lewis Hamilton which caused a pile-up. Normally finishing between 8th and 12th.